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Delta Sigma Theta
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===Creation=== On January 13, 1913, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated was founded by twenty-two women at [[Howard University]].<ref name=":1">Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 444-446.</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. |url=https://www.apsu.edu/greek-life/sororities/delta-sigma-theta-sorority.php |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Austin Peay State University}}</ref> Some of the founders were former members of [[Alpha Kappa Alpha]] who wanted to change the sorority's name, color, symbols and direction. In 1912, they proposed a vote to change the organization's name. This new name was to reflect the group's desire to change the visual image of the name of the group to look less like [[Alpha Phi Alpha]] fraternity.<ref name="Gid48">Giddings 1998, op. cit., p. 48.</ref> The 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta were:<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Delta β Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc |url=https://www.deltasigmatheta.org/about-delta/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |language=en}}</ref> {{columns-list|colwidth=15em| *[[Osceola Macarthy Adams]] *[[Marguerite Young Alexander]] *[[Winona Cargile Alexander]] *[[Ethel Cuff Black]] *[[Bertha Pitts Campbell]] *[[Zephyr Chisom Carter]] *[[Mary Edna Brown Coleman]] *[[Jessie McGuire Dent]] *[[Frederica Chase Dodd]] *[[Myra Davis Hemmings]] *[[Olive Claire Jones]] *[[Jimmie Bugg Middleton]] *[[Pauline Oberdorfer Minor]] *[[Vashti Turley Murphy]] *[[Naomi Sewell Richardson]] *[[Mammie Reddy Rose]] *[[Eliza Pearl Shippen]] *[[Florence Letcher Toms]] *[[Ethel Carr Watson]] *[[Wertie Blackwell Weaver]] *[[Madree Penn White]] *[[Edith Motte Young]] }}[[File:Deltasigmathetafounders.jpg|200px|thumb|Nineteen of the Delta Sigma Theta founders in 1913]] According to Delta Sigma Theta's historian, [[Paula Giddings]], the 22 founders believed that Alpha Kappa Alpha did not have a charter, they believed they had no "legal entity". The young women believed that no charter meant there was no authority to form other chapters, thus limiting their ability to expand the scope of their activities.<ref name="Gid48" /> During the meeting where the changes were discussed, the past president from a few months prior, [[Nellie Quander]], disagreed with the proposed changes and got the women to table the discussion until the entire membership had been polled.<ref>Giddings, 1998, op. cit., p. 50-51.</ref> On January 13, 1913, the women named the sorority Delta Sigma Theta and decided to reorganize and incorporate at that meeting.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vroman |first=Elizabeth |title=Shaped to its Purpose, Delta Sigma Theta--the First Fifty Years |publisher=Random House |year=1965 |pages=84}}</ref><ref name="History">{{cite book |last=Ross |first=Lawrence C. Jr. |title=The Divine Nine: The History of African-American and Sororities in America |publisher=Kensington Books}}</ref><ref name="History2">{{cite web |author=Mason, Skip |title=THE APA/DST Connection |url=http://skipmason.com/hm/hm04.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115090640/http://www.skipmason.com/hm/hm04.htm |archive-date=January 15, 2008 |access-date=December 28, 2007 |df=mdy-all}} Retrieved January 5, 2008.</ref> The new sorority's ''Alpha chapter'' was incorporated on February 18, 1913.<ref>Giddings 1998, op. cit., p. 52</ref><ref name=":1" /> On January 20, 1930, the organization's Grand Chapter was nationally incorporated. This incorporation allowed them to have authority over all of their chapters. [[File:Delta4.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Members at the 1921 national convention (l to r): front, [[Virginia M. Alexander|Virginia Margaret Alexander]], Julia Mae Polk, [[Sadie Tanner Mossell]]; row 2, Anna R. Johnson, [[Nellie Rathbone Bright]], [[Pauline A. Young|Pauline Alice Young]]]] Immediately following the founding, Delta Sigma Theta members quickly mobilized to build and develop infrastructure and implement programming. One of the first orders of business was to have an oath, which was written by [[Mary Church Terrell]] in 1914. In the early years, individual chapters would implement various programs to meet the needs of their local communities. The sorority initially expanded with ''Beta chapter'', established at [[Wilberforce University]] on February 5, 1914.<ref>Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 69-70.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson Morris |first=Edna |title=The History & Development of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority |publisher=Gary American Publishing Co. |year=1944 |pages=16β17}}</ref> ''Gamma chapter'' was established in 1918 at the [[University of Pennsylvania]]. Soon after, the ''Delta chapter'' was established on April 4, 1919, at the [[University of Iowa]] and ''Epsilon chapter at The [[Ohio State University]] on November 19, 1919.<ref>Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 73-74.</ref>'' The women also quickly realized that membership continued beyond undergraduate years and responded to the need for alumnae chapters. The first graduate chapters were authorized in 1920 at the Second National Convention for graduate members in New York City and Washington, D.C.<ref>Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 86.</ref> The 1920s began a decade of significant development within Delta Sigma Theta. The organization began to develop uniformity in programming and communication between the chapters of the sorority. In 1920, May Week was developed to encourage Black women to attend college, and the Official Publication of the sorority was established as "The Delta". Also in 1920, the Omega chapter was established to recognize deceased Sorors, and [[Sadie T.M. Alexander]] was voted the first Honorary Grand President of Delta Sigma Theta. Delta Sigma Theta expanded west of the Rocky Mountains with the chartering of the ''Kappa chapter'' at the [[University of California]] in February 1921; however, its members weren't initiated until September 1922.<ref>Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 89.</ref> Regions were established in 1925, and the Jabberwock was established as the scholarship fundraiser. Under the threat of losing its name, the sorority sought national incorporation. On January 20, 1930, the Grand Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta was incorporated as a perpetual body, which eliminated the need for each chapter to seek its charter.<ref>Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 125.</ref>
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